Hunger Games Rane
by NerdsAreAce
Summary: Dalton'verse. When Reed Van Kamp and Shane Anderson are chosen to partake in The Hunger Games, Shane knows that he will do anything to keep Reed alive. This is the story of their time in the Arena.
1. Sixty Seconds

Alright, my lovelies, here's the first part of Hunger Games!Rane but I'm not sure how many parts there'll be.

Sixty seconds. That's how long the Tributes have to stand around the Cornucopia for. Sixty seconds to plan; to decide what to do. Weapons or food? Water or bandages? Those are the kinds of decisions they had to make. All of the tactics that had been planned, that the mentors had had to make, they meant nothing once the tributes were in the arena.

Reed Van Kamp knew that he was going to die. He was short, skinny and clumsy, and would only last a few days, a week at most. Well, if he didn't die in the initial bloodbath, of course. But, even though he was going to die, he wasn't going to just sit around and wait some Career to kill him. He hadn't given up on that slim chance of survival, no matter how impossible it seemed.

So, as he stood on his pedestal, two hundred metres or so from the Cornucopia, he tried to make good use of his sixty seconds. He scanned the terrain; woodland to his left, although it didn't look like it would offer much cover; to his right, there was a field of tall grass, the grass would easily hide him, as it was at least a foot taller than the tiny District 8 Tribute; behind him was small stream of glistening, fresh, clear water, surrounded by rocks. Reed remembered what his mentor, Sylvia, had said, _water is the most important thing, once you find some, make shelter, and stay there._

This was assuming that he survived the bloodbath, though. So Reed turned his gaze towards the Cornucopia looking for anything that could help him. He knew he'd never reach the actual Cornucopia, so he decided to search the items that were scattered around it.

The loaf of bread? Too far away. The spear? Too heavy for Reed to use. Throwing knives? They could be useful (although Reed was terribly clumsy, he actually had pretty good aim). Backpack? He'd try to get it, but so would lots of the other Tributes. Bow and arrows? Too close to the boy from District 4.

Reed almost missed the gong that started the games, scrambling forwards off of his pedestal and into the fray. He snatched up the knives without much difficulty, but once he reached the backpack, he saw another Tribute advancing towards him. He vaguely recognised her; District 6, her name was Brie. Reed grabbed the backpack, and tried to back away from the other Tribute, but she was too fast, and the machete in her hands would kill him in an instant. _Oh God, _he was going to die! Reed only hoped that his death wouldn't hurt _too _much. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow that would end his life.

It never came.

Instead, he heard a piercing scream from just in front of where he was standing, and opened his eyes just in time to see Brie fall to the floor, an arrow protruding from the back of her neck. Reed looked towards where the shot had come from; the boy from District 4. He barely had time to feel relieved before he noticed the other boy hurtling towards him.

Why had he killed Brie then, if he was only going to kill Reed straight afterwards? He could have just let Brie stab him. Why had he saved Reed, only to kill him moments later?

For a moment, Reed had almost forgotten that he was still in the bloodbath, but was promptly reminded by a dagger that missed him by inches, burying itself in the ground behind him. Reed quickly put the backpack on, slipping the knives into his belt and turned to run to the stream where he could make camp.

Only to find his path blocked by another Tribute. The same Tribute that had just thrown a dagger at Reed, that only just missed him.

Reed knew that he would never get past the other Tribute. He was _huge. _He towered over Reed, and had enough muscles to be able to knock Reed out (if not kill him) with a single punch. He was a Career as well; District 2. So, Reed did the only thing he could think of; he ran.

More precisely, he ran towards the tall grass. He had no idea what was in there, but it would at least give him some sort of cover until the other Tributes had left. He sprinted as fast as he could, picking up an unclaimed length of rope on his way, until he reached the edge of the grass. He turned around for a brief moment, and was met with the sight of the District 4 boy shooting an arrow into the District 2 Tribute's shoulder. It wasn't fatal, but it would definitely incapacitate the other boy for a while.

Reed's eyes met with those of the boy District 4 and the other boy shouted something to Reed. It sounded a lot like _'RUN!' _but Reed couldn't be sure, after all, why would another Tribute be telling Reed to run? It didn't make sense.

Reed didn't have time to ponder this, however, because the other boy was running towards him, so Reed turned and fled into the grass, hoping to put as much space between himself and the odd boy from District 4 as possible.

xxx-xxx

Was that alright? I may be able to post another chapter before I go to bed tonight, hopefully.


	2. Allies?

Here you go my lovelies, the second part of my Hunger Games!Rane. Feedback is always appreciated!

Wandering through the tall grass, Reed quickly lost track of time. So he just kept on walking, not stopping for more than a few seconds at a time, terrified that another Tribute would find him. He hadn't even stopped to check the contents of his backpack, and had simply looped the rope around his waist a few times, because stopping to put it away would leave him vulnerable and exposed.

He only stopped walking when he saw that the sun was beginning to set, sitting down on patch of the soft ground beneath him, and taking his backpack off. He opened it and looked inside. He was relieved when he saw what it contained.

A blanket; it was quite thick, and would be essential for the cold nights that the Gamemakers were so fond of exposing the Tributes to. Some bread and dried meat; also good, though Reed couldn't bring himself to eat any; he didn't know how long it would need to last. Some iodine for purifying water; it was useful, but only if Reed actually _had _water to purify, which, at that moment, he didn't. Lastly, a large plastic water bottle; it looked like it could hold about one and a half litres of water, which again _would _be helpful, if he had any water.

Reed sighed; things had not gone as planned. However, he was alive, and for that he was grateful. He packed his few belongings away (but keeping the rope around his waist) and settled down for a quick nap.

He couldn't get to sleep though. As soon as he closed his eyes, all he could see was the bloodbath, and all of the Tributes that had died in it. Brie, from District 6; both from 9; the girl from 11; the boy from 12, and those were only the ones that Reed had seen, there were undoubtedly more deaths than that.

When Reed gave up on trying to rest, he decided to inspect the throwing knives he had picked up. There were three of them, all tucked into Reed's belt. He unsheathed one of them, turning it around in his hands. It was about as long as his forearm, with intricate designs carved into the blades. Leaves, flowers and birds adorned the silver blade; for something so deadly, Reed thought that it really was quite beautiful.

A quiet rustle of the grass behind him snapped him out of his reverie. He stood up, brandishing his knife, although what good would it do against the other Tributes, who were almost all taller and stronger than Reed was? Still, it made him feel slightly safer. He heard another rustle, but didn't have time to register it, as he was tackled to the ground, his body pinned down by another taller, stronger one.

He struggled, but it was in vain. The knife was pried from his hand, and his wrists were pinned above his head. His attacker moved one his hands away from Reed's wrists, moving it to cover the smaller boy's mouth. His attacker leaned forwards, so he could look Reed in the eye, and Reed instantly recognised those green-gray eyes, even though he had only seen them up close once.

_It was the second day of training, and Reed had finally come to the station he had been dreading - agility. He could barely walk steadily on level ground, so he didn't see why he should even bother trying out the station, but Sylvia had insisted that he should try everything._

_The station consisted of lots of pedestals that the Tributes had to navigate. The further on they got, the higher the pedestals became. They got smaller too, making it nearly impossible to balance on them. Only one Tribute had finished the course, a twelve year old boy from District 5, Alan. He had gracefully leaped from pedestal to pedestal, successfully manoeuvring the course, receiving a polite round of applause from the instructor._

_Reed was next, and he knew he had no chance of finishing the course, and only hoped that he could fall without too much of a fool of himself. Considering his clumsiness, Reed actually did quite well; he managed to get about ten feet off of the ground before his foot slipped and he fell. He expected to feel a sharp pain as he came into contact with the floor, but all he felt was the dull sting as he collided with something soft, something warm, something _human.

_His eyes fluttered open (he didn't actually remember closing them) and he was looking into a beautiful pair of eyes. They were a strange colour; a mixture of green and grey, which glistened with childlike mischief. Reed soon found himself lost in them. He only looked away when he realised that his rescuer was holding Reed in his arms, bridal-style. Reed blushed and squirmed out of the other boy's arms, muttering a quick 'thank you' and scurrying off to another training station. _

_The other boy only chuckled, gazing fondly at Reed as the smaller boy tried to avoid the stares he was getting from the other Tributes. _

Reed's rescuer was also his attacker. He knew that he should feel afraid, but he couldn't bring himself to be. Slowly, the other boy removed his hands from Reed's mouth and wrists, sitting up so that, while he was still straddling Reed, the smaller boy could also sit up. The other boy extended his hand to Reed in a silent offer. Reed shook it tentatively, although he was beginning to feel more comfortable around the other boy already.

"I'm Shane Anderson, District 4."

"Reed Van Kamp, District 8"

"Allies?"

"Allies."


	3. Comfort and Discussions

"But, why would you want to be allies with _me?" _Reed asked. "I mean, you're tall, strong and could've joined the Careers, so why did you pick _me?"_

Shane pondered this for a moment, barely noticing how his hand had moved to caress Reed's face.

"Because...I just...I couldn't let you die. I don't know why, but I just couldn't let that happen."

Reed blushed; he was speechless. Shane noticed Reed's discomfort, and quickly moved off of Reed, moving to sit next to the smaller boy. Shane decided to change the subject, sparing Reed from further embarrassment.

"So, what did you get at the Cornucopia?" He asked.

"Oh, um, backpack, knives, a bit of food, blanket, water bottle and purifying stuff, but no water. You?"

"Bow and arrows, some food, water and a first aid kit." Shane replied, as he took off his own backpack.

Reed sighed in relief; he had a feeling that he would need that first aid kit when he inevitably injured himself. Reed looked around where he was sitting, looking for the knife that Shane had knocked out of his hands during their scuffle.

Shane spotted it first, picking it up and slipping it into Reed's belt, enjoying the blush it brought to the other boy's face. (Back in the Capitol, there was a collective 'awww' as that moment was broadcast)

Reed soon found out that Shane was very talkative; they spent hours chatting to each other about anything and everything. Shane's brother, Blaine, who had won the games a few years ago, and how he had fallen in love with his stylist, Kurt; how Reed's mother was quite powerful in District 8, and how Reed was expected to live up to the family name; the District 2 boy, Leo, who had disliked Shane (and by association, Reed) ever since the Gamemakers had given him a higher score than him; they even talked about the twelve year old boy from District 5, Alan, who had volunteered in place of his brother, Dwight.

They were only interrupted by the sound of the canons that signalled the dead Tributes. Both boys fell silent, looking up to the sky to see the faces of those who had died. The boy from 3; the girl from 5; Brie from 6; both from 7; both from 9; the girl from 11; the boy from 12. Nine in total. Nine dead on the first day.

Reed sighed, such a waste of life. Shane saw his distress, and immediately pulled Reed into a hug, one hard gently carding through his strawberry blonde hair.

"We should get some sleep." Shane murmured softly.

Reed nodded, retrieving his blanket from his backpack and throwing it over himself and Shane. Shane cuddled up to the smaller boy, his chest pressing against Reed's back.

"Should one of us stay up to keep watch?" Reed asked.

"Nah, we both need as much energy as we can get for what we're doing tomorrow."

"What are we doing tomorrow?"

"We have to get out of here. We need to find water, food and somewhere where we'll be more sheltered. We should also try to think of ways to get rid of the other Tributes."

Reed sighed, but nodded; he knew that if he wanted to survive he would have to kill people, even if he didn't want to.

Shane held Reed even closer, pulling the blanket tighter around them. Plans could wait until tomorrow; that night, all Shane could think about was this beautiful boy sleeping next to him, and how he would protect him, even if it cost him his life.


	4. Explosion

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

xxx-xxx

"Reed, wake up." Shane murmured. "We need to start moving, come on."

Reed's eyes fluttered open, and he slowly sat up, flexing his stiff muscles. He looked around for a moment, searching for the source of the noise, and his eyes fell on Shane, who was sitting in front of him, holding out a chunk of bread and a bottle of water.

"Eat up, we've got a long day today." Shane continued, as Reed ate the bread and drank some of the water.

Reed stood up, hoisting his backpack onto his back (Shane must have packed it before Reed had woken up), securing his knives in his belt, before nodding to Shane.

"Let's go."

Reed had only been following Shane for a few minutes when he realised something.

"Shane, where are we actually going?"

Shane just laughed, grabbing Reed's hand and pulling him up alongside him. "Don't worry; I know where I'm going. Look down, you can see footprints. They're not ours, they're too small, probably from a young Tribute, but they'll still lead us back to the Cornucopia."

"Wait, what? These are from another Tribute? Shane! What if they're still around?" Reed was starting to panic, looking around frantically.

"Reed, calm down. Don't worry." Shane urged him. "Look at them. They're leading away from us, whoever left them is long gone. Trust me."

Reed nodded, but still held onto Shane's hand as they walked. They stayed silent, as they didn't know if they were within hearing distance of the other Tributes or not. They walked in companionable silence for a few hours, Shane occasionally having to catch Reed as he fell over his own feet, which Shane thought was rather cute.

"Shane," Reed whispered. "Won't there be Careers around the Cornucopia?"

"Yeah, probably, so we'll just take a little detour before we actually reach it. We'll turn around here actually" Shane replied, as he veered off to the left. He was about to start walking, but Reed suddenly grabbed him around the waist and pulled him backwards.

"Shane! Don't step there!"

"What? Why not?"

"Look at the ground! Look at it!"

When Shane realised the cause of Reed's distress, his eyes widened in shock. The ground looked like it had been dug up, then packed down again; Shane could only think of one explanation.

"Mines." He breathed. "How did we not notice them? They could be everywhere!"

"It's the perfect place to hide them. You can barely see five feet in front of you; you'd never see it coming." Reed mused.

"Ok, let's not panic, we should just keep going. Be extra careful where you're walking though, we don't know what else could be in here."

Reed nodded, and the two boys carried on walking. They slowed their pace considerably, looking out for any mines that would have previously gone unnoticed. To say there were lots of them would have been an understatement. There were _hundreds._ Reed didn't know how they had been wandering around for hours, and not set any of them off.

To pass the time as they walked, Reed and Shane tried to formulate a plan in hushed tones. They were failing miserably. The best suggestion had been to try to burn the grass, to either kill the Tributes, or at least, expose them. The only problem was that the fire might spread too quickly for them to outrun.

However, their moods brightened when they heard the soft sound of running water. Their speed increased to a light jog, eager to escape the confines of the grass, which was already starting to become less densely packed. They were almost out; almost free, when, out of nowhere, Shane tackled Reed to the ground, using both of his hands to cover Reed's mouth, silencing the smaller boy.

Reed only stopped struggling when he saw the pleading look that Shane was giving him. He followed Shane's gaze, until he saw what had frightened the other boy so much. The object in question was situated about ten feet away. It was a nest, a wasp's nest to be precise; but it didn't belong to just any type of wasp.

It was a Tracker Jacker nest.

Shane felt Reed tense up, and immediately turned his attention away from the Tracker Jackers, in an effort to offer Reed some comfort. But when Shane looked into Reed's eyes, he saw no fear, only determination, along with another look that Shane couldn't place; calculating, as if Reed was considering something.

It caught Shane off guard when Reed flipped them over, so that he was straddling the taller boy. He slowly unsheathed one of his knives, and held it behind his head, as if he was about to throw it, bracing his other hand next to Shane's head.

"As soon as I throw this_, run."_

"What? Reed, stop!"

"Shhhh, under the nest." Reed murmured. "It's a mine. If I can cut down the nest, it'll set off the mine, and might cause a chain reaction. Then we should run for water, where the Tracker Jackers can't get us."

Shane was impressed; it was a good plan. That was, if they survived the explosion. And the Tracker Jackers. Shane placed his hands on Reed's hips, ready to push them both off the ground.

Reed threw the knife. It sliced through the nest, sending most of it the ground, simultaneously releasing the Tracker Jackers, and setting off the mine. Reed was right; it did cause a chain reaction, setting off the rest of the hidden mines.

The sound was deafening, debris raining down from the sky. Reed hardly had time to notice it though, as he and Shane were sprinting away from the explosions as fast as they could. Shane's grip on Reed's hand was so tight that it was almost painful, as he all but dragged him out of the grass, and into the sun. They scurried over the rocks surrounding the stream, barely noticing the injuries they had received; there would be time for that later, all they were concentrating on was reaching that stream. They could hear the buzz of the Tracker Jackers behind them, and it was getting louder and louder.

Shane pushed Reed over the river bank and into the water, jumping in after him. The water was freezing, chilling them to the bone as it seeped through their clothes. Shane held Reed against him, keeping them under water until he was sure the Tracker Jackers had moved on.

When they surfaced, they gulped the air like it was going out of fashion. Shane hauled Reed out of the water, placing him on the nearby rocks and checking them both for injuries.

Shane had received a cut on his cheek, blood dribbling down his face. His right calf was also sporting a long gash, probably from the debris from the explosion. But apart from that, and a few small cuts and grazes, he was fine.

Reed, on the other hand, had fared much worse. His ankle was swollen, most likely a sprain, or something similar. His hands were bleeding from where he had been pushed down the river bank. From the way Reed flinched when Shane had touched his chest, he assumed that he would have a few bruises there too, maybe a broken rib. But those weren't things that worried him the most.

He was more focused on Reed's forearm, where a Tracker Jacker sting was embedded in the skin.


	5. Screaming

_No. _This could _not _be happening. How could Reed have gotten stung? How could Shane have let this happen? How could he have been so careless? Was Reed going to be alright?

"S-Shane? A-a-are you hurt?" Reed stuttered, seeming to have trouble speaking properly. "Y-your...leg...hurt..." Reed trailed off, his eyes glazing over; the venom was starting to take effect.

Shane quickly pulled the sting out of Reed's arm, before it could do anymore damage. It was only small; didn't contain much venom. Then again, Reed was so tiny, it wouldn't take much to kill him.

It was then that Shane noticed that Reed was shaking. He didn't know whether it was from the cold or the venom, but either way, he needed to find shelter. Shane scanned the terrain; rocks, water, more rocks, some small bushes, even more rocks. This was not good. Shane kept looking though, walking around, trying to find any sort of cover (although never straying far from Reed, who was shaking quite violently now).

Finally, he found somewhere suitable; a cave. Its opening was mostly shrouded by bushes, which was useful. Although, would Reed be able to reach it? By the looks of him, probably not; the poor thing was shaking, his head buried in his hand, whimpering. Shane felt his heart break a little. What made it worse was that he didn't know what to do; he didn't know how to treat the sting.

He settled for making sure that they were safe from the other Tributes. Shane gently slipped Reed's backpack off of his shoulders, placing it in the smaller boys lap, before leaning down and scooping Reed up bridal-style, much like the time back at the training before the Games had started.

Reed squealed, struggling against Shane's arms. Shane soothed his as best he could, murmuring comforting words into Reed's ear, trying to calm him down as he slowly limped over to the cave. He stumbled a few times, slipping on the wet rocks, but didn't stop until he reached the cave.

The cave had been a good choice. It was fairly large, but not too noticeable. It was also held up by spindly stone pillars, probably stalactites that had reached the ground. Shane gently placed Reed on the floor of the cave, pulling the blanket out of Reed's bag and wrapping it around the petite boy.

Then the screaming started.

The venom was taking hold. It had worked its way into Reed's body, and he was beginning to hallucinate. And by the sound of it, the hallucinations were terrible. Shane was at a loss; what was he supposed to do? Reed was screaming too loudly; he was sure to attract another Tribute, but what could Shane do to keep him quiet?

He could only think of one solution. And he really didn't like it. He was going to have to knock Reed unconscious, there was no other way to keep him quiet. Oh God, he didn't want to do this, but what else could he do?

Shane slowly crawled towards Reed, reaching forwards to slip one of Reed's knives out of his belt. He only had two left now; the other had been lost in the explosion. Shane turned the knife around, so the blade was aimed away from Reed, before bringing it down swiftly against the back of Reed head. It knocked Reed out cold. Shane was glad; he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to hit the tiny, fragile boy again.

Reed slumped forwards; completely unconscious. Shane caught him, gently manoeuvring him into a more comfortable position, placing the blanket softly over Reed's limp body.

Shane rummaged around his backpack, finding the first aid kit, intending on patching up Reed's injuries, and his own, if he had the time. He took Reed's boot off, binding his ankle to the best of his ability, before placing the boot back on, hoping that it would help to keep his foot secure. He wrapped Reed's hands up too, trying to stem the slow trickle of blood coming from the cuts. Shane lifted the blanket from Reed's body, and gingerly lifted his shirt up, immediately spotting the bruises that littered the other boy's chest (to be honest, Shane felt a bit awkward. He was basically _undressing _Reed, but he tried to keep his mind focused on treating the injuries).

He couldn't do anything about the bruises, so settled for trying to rehydrate Reed. He pulled his head into his lap, gently pouring a small trickle of the cool liquid down Reed's throat. Once he was done, he turned his attention back on himself. He had been relatively unscathed the explosion. He quickly cleaned the few scratches on his body, taking particular care with the one on his cheek. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the gash on his leg wasn't that bad either. It caused him to limp slightly, but he soon had it bandaged up, and that helped somewhat.

Shane settled down next to Reed, keeping watch. He sat there for hours, guarding this beautiful boy, this boy who Shane felt such a strong urge to protect. Shane flinched when he heard the cannons sound.

Five blasts.

Only five? Only five Tributes had died in that _massive _explosion? That explosion had destroyed the whole of the field. Then a new thought occurred to Shane. If the Tributes weren't in the field, where were they? He scuttled outside just in time to see the faces of the Tributes illuminating the night sky.

The girl from 3. The girl from 4, Erin. Shane sighed, he hadn't known her too well, but she had seemed nice. The boy from 6. The boy from 10. The girl from 12.

So, little Alan was still alive. Shane didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that. He was happy because he was alive, but sad because he didn't want to have to end up killing the young boy. Shane had to admit though, the boy was smart. For a twelve year old, he'd lasted a long time.

That was when Shane heard a quiet rustle from his right. He turned, but then remembered that he had left his weapons back in the cave. He realised that there was no cause for alarm though, as he felt a small package hit his leg. He was almost too preoccupied with the package to hear the quiet sound of shallow breaths from the bushes. Almost.

The package consisted of a few small, dark green leaves tied with string, with a note attached. Shane unfolded the note and read:

Chew the leaves up. Put them on the sting. It helps.

-A

Shane wondered who had given him the package. Tracker Jackers were mostly found around Districts 11, 9 and 5, so that narrowed it down. Both Tributes from 9 were dead. The girl from 11 was dead, and the boy had seemed very unfriendly during training. The girl from 5 was dead, so that only left...

"Thank you, Alan." Shane whispered.

There was a pause.

"You're welcome."


	6. Invite

A/N: Sorry for the wait my lovelies, but I'm here now!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

xxx-xxx

Shane didn't know how long he sat outside the cave for. It could have been hours; Alan had left long ago. Shane just sat there, holding the package Alan had given him, barely noticing as rain started to fall. Only one thing could snap Shane out of his reverie.

"Shane? _Shane! _Are you there?" Reed called out frantically. Shane scurried back into the cave, collapsing on the ground next to Reed, pulling the smaller boy into a fierce hug.

"Oh, Reed! You're alright! I thought I'd lost you!" Shane whispered as he pulled Reed closer. Shane didn't let go of Reed for a long time, he simply sat there, holding onto Reed like a lifeline, occasionally pressing kisses into Reed hair. Reed tried to wrap his arms around Shane, gasping in pain as he moved his injured arm.

"Ah! Shane, m-my arm!" Reed stuttered. Shane hurriedly opened Alan's package, chewing the leaves up, before placing them on the sting. Reed didn't move, simply letting Shane take care of him. Reed sighed as the pain receded, eyes fluttering closed.

"Better?" Shane asked, unable to stop the smirk off his face as Reed nodded enthusiastically. "Um, Reed," Shane continued.

"Yes, Shane?"

"In the explosion...we only, um,"

"Shane? What happened with the explosion?"

"_Weonlykilledfivepeople_."

"What? Slow down, Shane."

"We only killed five people."

Reed paled, burying his face in his hands. Only five? Five? But then...

"Shane, if the Tributes weren't in the field, where were they? Where are they now?"

"I don't know, Reed. I don't know. The best thing we can do for now is just wait; see what happens." Reed nodded, lifting the blanket slightly. Shane shuffled forwards, throwing an arm around Reed and pulling the blanket tighter around them.

"You're right, Shane. Things will get better."

xxx-xxx

Things didn't get better. Not by a long shot. The Gamemakers had decided to turn the temperature in the Arena down. A lot. They had also decided that it was a good idea to make it rain non-stop.

As the days passed, Reed and Shane got hungrier and hungrier. Sure, they had enough water, but no matter how much they had rationed the remaining food, it hadn't lasted long. Shane had tried everything to get food; hunting, foraging, fishing, but to no avail. The rain had flooded the river, destroying the greenery that could have been used for food, the fast moving water meant that catching fish was impossible and the last time Shane had gone outside to hunt, he had been gone for about five minutes before he returned, soaked to the bone and shivering violently.

The only consolation was that they weren't the only ones affected by the weather. Over the 6 days that had passed from the explosion, another three Tributes had died. The girl from 10, the girl from 8 and the girl from 1. That had been a surprise; Careers didn't usually die from the weather, but when Shane pictured the girl from District 1, she had seemed rather slim. Not skinny, per se, but she wasn't carrying any excess weight. It explained why the girl, Mia, hadn't lasted long in the cold, even with the protection of her fellow Careers.

While Shane was coping fairly well with the weather and the lack of food, Reed wasn't. On the outside, he didn't seem very affected; a little thinner, but not terribly. The real problem, though, was how weak he was becoming. He hardly had any energy, and got out breath without having to do much at all. It worried Shane, it really did. Reed wouldn't last much longer without food.

So, every day, Shane went out to try to find food. Usually it was when Reed was sleeping; the smaller boy didn't like Shane going out by himself. More often than not, Shane never brought back anything. However, on the seventh day after the explosion, when Shane went outside he was met with sunshine, rather than rain. It was warmer too. Then Shane heard the words that caused him so much relief, yet so much terror.

"Good morning Tributes! At midday today, we invite you all to a feast at the Cornucopia!"


	7. Sacrifice

**A/N: Sorry for the wait guys, but I'm back! **

xxx-xxx

A feast. A _feast. _

Thank God.

But then again...oh no.

Shane shook his head. No. He couldn't go. There were too many Tributes left. He would never survive, and if he died, Reed would too. Reed didn't know how to hunt. If another Tribute found him, he wouldn't stand a chance; the lack of food had made him too weak. But they needed food, so-

"We have to go, Shane."

Shane spun around; he hadn't realised that Reed was awake. The announcement must have woken him.

"No, Reed, you can't, you'll-"

"_I _can't go, but you can? No, Shane, if you go, I go too."

"No way. I _won't _let you go. That's _final_."

"Shane! I mmph-"

Reed didn't finish his protest, as Shane had covered his mouth with his hand, silencing him. Shane pressed his forehead to Reed's, a desperate look in his eyes.

"Please, Reed. _Please _don't do this. I don't want you to get hurt."

"It's a bit late for that." Reed retorted, holding up the arm that had been stung, gesturing to the cuts and bruises that littered his body. Shane pulled away, a plan forming in his head.

"Yeah, you're right. We should get ready to go." Shane muttered hurriedly, hoping his voice didn't sound too strained. Reed was shocked that Shane had given in so easily, but nodded nonetheless, walking back towards the cave. Luckily, he didn't see the grim expression marring Shane's features.

Shane trudged back inside, thinking of all the ways that he could keep Reed away from the feast. He could only think of one, and even that one wasn't very good. But it would have to do. Shane searched through the backpacks until he found what he was looking for.

"So, Shane, I was thinking that - Shane?"

Shane stood up, walking forwards until Reed was forced to back up into one of the stone pillars that supported the cave. Reed tried to speak, but was cut off when Shane leaned forwards, pressing their lips together. It was a fairly chaste kiss, their lips gliding softly over each other's, Reed gripping Shane's shirt tightly. Shane's hands were skimming lightly over Reed's stomach and waist; Reed thought Shane was doing this out of affection, until he felt something tighten around his waist.

Reed pulled away, looking down, only to see that Shane had tied him to the pillar, using the rope that Reed picked up at the Cornucopia.

"I'm sorry, but I just couldn't let you go to the feast." Shane whispered.

"No! Shane! Let me out! _Shane!" _Reed shouted, struggling against the rope, but to no avail.

"I'm sorry." Shane repeated, pressing one last kiss to Reed's lips before picking up his bow and arrows, and his small backpack, before walking out of the cave.

He didn't look back, for fear that Reed would see the tears that threatened to spill over.

xxx-xxx

Shane walked for hours, creeping over the rocks and through the stream, cursing at the lack of shelter it provided. To overcome that problem, Shane decided to take a detour through the trees; taking a break for about half an hour or so when he found a secluded enough spot.

Maybe he was just paranoid, but Shane was _sure _that, every so often, he heard the rustle of a bush, or the snap of a twig. Every single time, he searched for the source of the noise, his bow raised, but he eventually came to the conclusion that _no _Tribute could be that loud.

An hour or so later, the trees started to thin out, light filtering in through the canopy. Midday was fast approaching, so Shane climbed a large tree, and waited, surrounded by foliage.

A few minutes later, the anthem started to play, and a hole opened up in the ground. A small table rose out of it, draped in a white cloth, and covered in food. Shane breathed a sigh of relief; although there wasn't much food, there weren't many Tributes left. Only seven remained: himself, Reed, Alan, the boy from 1, both from 2 and the boy from 11.

Another minute or so passed, but nobody moved. Shane realised that whoever tried to take the food would be killed before they even reached the Cornucopia. They had reached a stalemate. They needed a distraction, or something similar.

Shane scanned the terrain, looking for anything useful. He spotted a rock, down by his left foot. It was about the size of a fist. Shane picked it up, an idea forming in his head. He tossed the rock in his hand a few time, feeling the weight of it, before turning around and throwing the rock, as hard as he could, at the Cornucopia.

The noise it made was like that of a gong. And it echoed throughout the arena.

The Careers appeared, mistaking the sound as another Tribute. Shane was shocked that they had fallen for it, after all, it was a fairly crude plan. (Sure enough, there was a quite giggle from somewhere to Shane's right. Shane didn't hear though.)

As soon as the Careers were exposed, Shane raised his bow, and sent an arrow flying towards them. It speared through the thigh of the boy from 1, but the wound wouldn't kill him. While the Careers were distracted, the other Tributes took the opportunity, abandoning their hiding places.

The boy from 11, Jude, ran out from the meadow behind the Cornucopia, whereas Shane, Alan and Reed ran out from various parts of the forest.

Wait, what? Reed?

No!

How? Reed couldn't be there. He _couldn't._

_But he was._

Once the Careers realised that the noise had been a distraction, they turned towards their fellow Tributes, weapons raised. Jude, Shane, Alan and Reed shuffled closer together - a sort of unspoken alliance against the Careers - and raised their own weapons. They nodded at each other, and moved forwards.

Jude headed towards the boy from 1, who was already injured, and they started to fight, the sound of their swords clashing together reverberating around the arena. Shane soon lost track of who was winning, as the girl from 2 had raised a spear, and was aiming it towards him.

Just before the spear left her hand, Shane felt a warm body press against him. Reed looked into Shane's eyes, a single tear rolling down his cheek. Reed was shielding Shane's body with his own, intending to intercept the spear that was meant for him. Shane Shane tried to push Reed away, but it was too late; the spear had been thrown.

There was a high pitched scream, and a petite body fell to the ground.

Except it wasn't Reed.

It was Alan.


	8. Vengeance

_**A/N: Sorry about the wait, it's been like, a month or something. But hey, I'm here now. **_

xxx-xxx

_Alan._

_Oh God._

Shane ran to Alan's side, crouching down, assessing the wound. It was bad. But they could save him, couldn't they? If they took the spear out...and wrapped the wound...

While Shane was with Alan, Reed plucked a knife from his belt (two down, one left) and threw it at the girl from 2. It lodged in her throat and she fell to the ground. Her district partner, Leo, barely took any notice, moving over to the fight between Jude and the boy from 1.

Reed collapsed on the ground next to Alan, ignoring the ongoing fight. Both boys grasped one of Alan's tiny hands. There was nothing they could do. They only was he could survive was if he got fancy, expensive medical help like that from the Capitol.

And well, that certainly wasn't going to happen.

Alan looked up at the two boys above him. He wanted one of them to win. They were nice and didn't enjoy killing, like the Careers did. Both of them had tears streaming down their faces. That was another reason he wanted them to win; they didn't even know him, but they were upset that he was dying.

But Dwight.

Alan let out a choked sob at the thought of his older brother. How would they survive without each other? It had always been them against the world - 'Dwight and Alan'. Just 'Dwight' didn't sound right.

A bird flew overheard - a mockingjay. Alan had always liked those birds. They had a knack for survival. Then the mockingjay let out a high pitched whistle.

Reed and Shane looked around but nobody was dead. Jude was holding his own against the Careers, and Alan was still clinging onto life. But still, a hovercraft emerged from the trees, looming over Alan. But Alan wasn't dead yet! They couldn't just take him away!

But then again, the Capitol citizens probably thought it wasn't very interesting seeing two boys comfort a dying Tribute. They were more interested in the fighting. The killing.

Shane pulled Reed away as a claw descended from the hovercraft, scooping up Alan's body. Reed struggled, trying to get back to the smaller boy, but Shane was too strong. They couldn't do anything for him anyway.

Removing Alan from the Arena had the desired effect, though. It forced Reed and Shane back into the fray. Just as they turned back to the battle, the boy from 1 stabbed Jude through the stomach.

Just before he fell to his knees, Jude managed to slash his sword against his attacker's throat. If Jude died, he was going to go down fighting. Jude looked at Reed and Shane, just for a moment, but that was all he needed. His message was clear.

You have to win this.

Jude exhaled for the final time, collapsing onto the ground.

Just three people left now.


	9. Cherish

Three. Just three now.

Reed looked at Shane. Shane looked at Leo. Leo looked at Reed. The Capitol citizens were sitting on the edges of their seats, waiting for somebody to make the first move.

Surprisingly, it was Reed.

He lunged forwards, pulling out his last knife. But before he could make it more than a few steps, Shane grabbed him by the waist and threw him backwards, where he fell and landed on the ground.

Shane grabbed an arrow and shot it at Leo. It narrowly missed, landing a metre or so behind its target. Shane reached behind him, going for another arrow, only to find there were none left. Where had they all gone? Shane could only assume that they had been used up during his attempts to hunt; when food had been their only objective, they paid little notice to their weapons.

Shane glanced back at Reed, who was already picking himself up off the ground. He was left with no choice; there was no way he was going to let Reed fight Leo, who was about twice the size of said boy.

Shane ran towards Leo, dodging a punch aimed at his head and elbowed Leo in the ribs. Shane didn't want to fight without weapons; the fighting was more brutal and there would be no quick death. When Leo doubled over, Shane managed to knee him in the face, but that was where his luck ran out. Leo grabbed his leg, twisting it until Shane collapsed onto the ground, gasping in pain.

Pain exploded in Shane's temple as he was kicked. He fell backwards, blood streaming down his face. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, and was met with the looming face of Leo, who was towering over him. Leo raised a leg, placing it over Shane's throat - oh God that would _hurt_ - when something caught his attention.

A flash of red, a flash of silver, followed by a gargled scream. Then he saw it.

Reed, perched on Leo's back, holding a bloody knife. A knife that had just sliced along Leo's throat. Reed barely got out of the way of Leo's corpse collapsing to the ground. He held out his hand to Shane, pulling the taller boy onto his feet, the knife still gripped in his other hand.

"So...this is it..." Shane choked out.

Reed nodded, and opened his mouth to say something. He paused for a moment, then threw himself at Shane, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him fiercely.

The kiss felt like a goodbye, but it was also much more than that. It spoke of how much Reed loved Shane and how he didn't want them to be apart. How much they had done for each other, and how they had no regrets. That, although they were to be separated, the would never forget each other no matter how long they had left to live. And how much they had cherished every moment of the other's company.

Shane gently prised the knife out of Reed's hands, ignoring Reed's frightened whimper.

There was the sound of a knife plunging through flesh.

And Shane fell to the ground.


	10. Don't Look Back  Epilogue

2 YEARS LATER

Reed wandered through the streets of District 8. The people around him were laughing and cheering, but Reed just didn't have it in him to join in. There had been a rebellion in the Capitol...or something...Reed didn't really pay attention anymore. After the Games, he'd sort of...given up. All of his memories had just merged into one.

_He was being lifted from the arena, clinging to Shane's body, sure that he was still alive...he was being crowned the Victor...he went home (only it didn't feel like home anymore)...he went on his victory tour...he couldn't tell one district from the next...he didn't paint anymore - he'd tried, but all he could paint was the arena, or Shane...arriving back after the tour...the next games (he'd refused to mentor anyone, and had locked himself in his room for the entire event)..._

That's why he didn't notice the rebellion - sure freedom was good, but he had no use for it without Shane. He would never be free of his memories, and, in all honesty, he didn't want to be. He didn't want to move on, because if he moved on, he would forget, and if he forgot, then Shane would really be gone.

Reed often had days like this. Days where he just...ceased to function. He walked around, spoke when spoke to, ate, drank. He was living, but he wasn't alive. The life was gone from his eyes. He used to be so happy and lively, but now he just did what he had to do to get through the day.

So it was no surprise when he accidently walked into someone, paying no attention to where he was going.

"Oh...sorry...I'll just go..." Reed muttered.

"Reed?"

Reed looked up, startled by the voice. Because that voice sounded familiar, but it couldn't be. Because that was the voice Reed heard everyday inside his head. His head snapped up, looking at who he had bumped into.

He was met with two figures. One was tall, lithe and athletic. The other was smaller and thinner. And both of their faces were shrouded by hoods.

Until the taller one took his down.

And the Reed knew he had gone mad.

Because that was Shane.

And Shane was dead.

"Reed?" Shane asked softly, reaching out towards the smaller boy.

"S-Shane?" Reed stuttered, blinking.

Without waiting for an answer, Reed flung himself into Shane's arms, cltching the taller boy's shirt as the lifeline it was. He felt strong arms wrap around his waist, holding him close. Reed didn't cry; he'd cried enough already.

"Reed," Shane started. "We should leave."

Reed tensed up.

"And by 'we', I mean me and you." Shane added hurriedly. "This place isn't good for you. We'll go to the countryside. We'll live in a little house away from the world, would you like that?"

Reed nodded. That would be nice, just him and Shane. Even if Shane wasn't real, even if this was just his imagination , he would make the most of it.

Shane looked down at the wreck of a boy in his arms. Someday he would explain how he survived, but for now, he'd just do his best to fix Reed.

"We just have to stop off at District 6 and we'll be on our way."

"District 6? Why?" Reed had liked District 6. He couldn't remember much about it, except that he had met Alan's brother, Dwight. Dwight was nice, and he knew what Reed was going through. They had spent an afternoon together, just talking.

"We have to pick up my brother, of course." Came a quiet but bright voice from behind Shane. Reed was stunned, who was this other boy? But then-

"Alan?"

"That's me." Came the voice. Alan lifted his hood, and Reed saw that, yes, that was Alan. He was a little older, a little more mature, but that was still the boy who had held Reed's hand as he was dying. It was the same boy who sacrificed his life for him.

Reed nodded mutely, smiling weakly at Alan. It was all a bit much to take in, but there would be time for explanations later. So Reed just took Shane's hand, who slung an arm around Alan's shoulders and walked away from District 8, from The Hunger Games, from all that pain, and he never looked back.


End file.
